The Section of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Northwestern University Medical School has a strong interest in becoming a member of the multicenter Network of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units. We wish to participate in longitudinal population based studies on pregnancy outcome, with emphasis on the areas of preterm delivery and other conditions leading to neonatal mortality and morbidity. We have demonstrated our capabilities in conducting and participating in randomized trials and multicenter studies that involved detailed study procedures for both pregnant women and their neonates. We believe our strengths lie in our large patient base and our committed, innovative faculty capable of contributing new directions to the development and prioritization of a research agenda for the Network. Furthermore, we have the requisite research infrastructure that enables the recruitment and follow-up of not just high-risk patients, but private as well as indigent patients that will maximize the generalizability of MFMU Network results to the entire population at risk for adverse perinatal outcomes. We are committed to working cooperatively with member units and network staff in the areas of study design, protocol implementation, patient recruitment, data analysis and publication.